A Huge Endeavour: Toyota Tundra Towing Space Shuttle Last Leg to Science Center - MotorTrend Magazine
From the “we didn’t see this coming” department, a 2012 Toyota Tundra CrewMax truck will tow the 300,000-pound space shuttle Endeavour the last leg to its permanent home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. To prepare for such a project, Toyota worked with The Sarens Group, a heavy lifting and transport company, to develop a custom heavy-duty dolly. Toyota claims the 2012 Tundra used for the stunt is an unmodified CrewMax model with a 381-hp 5. 7-liter V-8 under the hood. The truck’s maximum sustained towing capacity is 10,000 pounds. This isn’t the first time Toyota and the California Science Center have worked together. Toyota has had a partnership with the Science Center, and currently has a Tundra on display at the museum as part of an exhibit demonstrating the physics of leverage. That truck will be replaced by the one towing the Endeavour when the Endeavour exhibit opens on October 30. . The main argument is that if you are a domestic manufacturer, playing off the Buy American side of things, it is hypocritical to also... Toyota has manufacturing plants in the US, they use US made goods, and instead of moving their plants out of the country, they are moving more into the country. Source: wot.motortrend.com
